I'm through Chapter 10, and I've read much about the difficulty of this game.

Sure there's a lot of times where I have to go back through and repeat some areas...but never have I become 'smash the controller' frustrated.

<super minor spoilers>Alma, I've read, is a particularly difficult boss. However, she took me no more times than the level 2 boss (probably fewer in fact) and about the same number of times as the helicopter in level 9.

Beating Alma, for example went like this: I was killed in 2 secs the first time. The second time I fought her I discovered the strategy for beating her. It took me about 6 more times to successfully complete that strategy (which isn't too bad to me). Which is about the same for the helicopter.

<end super minor spoilers>

The second level boss took me upwards of 12 times to beat him...possibly more...and that's been the toughest part so far.

I played about 40 minutes of this game the other day and boy was I completely underwhelmed. Pretty yes, but it was like a more linear Onimusha with crazy to control combos, awful camera angles, and extreme difficulty.

The ghost fish will piss you off and make your controller fly. You'll see pretty soon.

Logged

U2K Tha Greate$t on the New Orleans flooding: "The issues that happen in NO, is well you aint blind, you know how satan do things, not only that, but did you ever think why the water couldnt go now where?"

I think I used jumping + dragon sword for the ghost fish. Oh and also the lighting magic works really well when you've got a big group of them. As long as you keep jumping and moving they're not a problem.

NG is definitely my favorite action game of all time now, I think. The camera a little wacky at first but you get the hang of it and it really becomes second nature quick. I'm starting to get the itch to play it again now...

I just finished Ninja Gaiden last night. ATB, I think that you're right in some ways and you're wrong. The game has this rhythm for controlling the character and, if you're in the zone, you can pretty much mow through every thing that moves. God help you if you can't get the feel for the controls down,though. I played the first ten chapters over the course of a week-and-a-half and pretty much had the same experience that you did. Due to real life interruptions, I didn't have time to play for about two to three weeks. When I picked it up again, I had completely lost my feel for the game. This is when I felt the urge to scream profanities at the TV and throw my controller across the room. It must have taken me around ten hours to get through Chapters 11 and 12. By the end of Chapter 12 I got my groove back and then breezed through most of the final battles up through the end.

Having finished it, I have to say that it is one of the best action games I've played recently, second only to the incomparable Prince Of Persia. Most folks have already read reviews and posts that praise the game, so I'm going to just comment on a few things that (for me) brought the game down a couple of notches:

* First off, the story. Woo, boy, this game has a story that only a twelve-year-old could love. In retrospect, I should have known given the track record of the developers (DOA3), but would it kill them to make something with a little more depth? Also, the whole demon-thing and military environments threw me for a loop. I think the game was at its best when it put it in traditional settings facing traditional enemies, like other ninjas and samurai. I thought Chapter 2, from a artistic perspective, was the most enjoyable Chapter in the game.

* Jumps. It's impossible to precisely line up for a jump in the game without going into first-person mode. The controls just didn't give you enough precision to string together some eye-popping jumps and wall jumps.

* Too many bosses. Don't get me wrong, most of the boss fights were incredibly well done, but I liked the game the most when I was wading through six or seven grunts at the same time. There's nothing like putting together three combo attacks and then stopping, looking around, and realizing that all seven of them are now dead.

* Not enough platform sequences. I'd have like to have seen more platforming and jumping puzzles to provide a change of pace between fights.

Having finished it, I have to say that it is one of the best action games I've played recently, second only to the incomparable Prince Of Persia.

I can't agree with this. I made the mistake of only getting 80% of the way through Prince of Persia before diving into Ninja Gaiden. I enjoyed the jumping sequences and puzzles in PoP a whole lot, but after playing Gaiden, I could not stand the slow, clumsy combat that PoP has. The combat in Ninja Gaiden has a fluidity that has never been achieved before in any action game, ever.

Logged

U2K Tha Greate$t on the New Orleans flooding: "The issues that happen in NO, is well you aint blind, you know how satan do things, not only that, but did you ever think why the water couldnt go now where?"

I just got to level 10 myself. I do think it's hard though. Some people compared it to Viewtiful Joe, but this one I think is harder.

I love the combat mechanics, but sometimes the game is just too harsh for its own good.

Spoiler about level 9:******Take the boss battle for instance. First you have to fight a tank. And another one. You find one full health bottle (yeah!), and then there's the helicopter. He's tough as nails, but after you killed him, you find a small health bottle (yeah!). After that, you get shot at from a tower by infinite rpg soldiers. Having taken out the tower, you get to a room that's populated by 3 rpg soldiers. They fire at you within 1.5 seconds, and you can't even see them at first. Or dodge them. So if you have little health left, you're screwed.*******So I think it's tough. I like the game, very much so, but they should give me some more potions Especially since I haven't yet bought any, because I'm too cheap and want to save my money for upgrades

I have a question about the armlets (sp? I mean the bracers) in the game, so instead of making a new thread I'll post it here.

I have 3 armlets so far, but I can't really tell what they do.The armlet of the Sun increases my attack power... Does it give me more damage? How much more? I haven't noticed any difference yet, except maybe the fact that my attacks are blocked less?

The armlet of the Moon increases my defense. How? Do I take less damage? Can I block more attacks?

The armlet of Benevolence I understand. Apparently it gives me 20% more gold, or at least that's what a certain FAQ claimed.

So, can anyone shed any light on this? I notice a difference, but I can't quite put my finger on it... Quite frustrating In general, I keep the armlet of the Moon on, because I like to block a lot, and then strike when an opportunity arrises, but learning the advantages of each armlet may give me some more insight into this great, great game

I have the same questions. A little bit more info in the game would be nice...like an attack number or something to see the difference. Hopefully someone can answer

Quote

So I think it's tough. I like the game, very much so, but they should give me some more potions Especially since I haven't yet bought any, because I'm too cheap and want to save my money for upgrades

I think that may be the reason I'm not struggling so badly through the game. I don't load up on potions by any means, but I do buy a few to make sure that I have enough for when I stumble into a sub-boss or boss level.

I actually didn't have that hard of a time with the helecopter, but I employed lots and lots and lots of dodging and had a pretty good supply of health potions.

As for the 3 rpgers, the got me too. Luckily I saved right after the tower so it wasn't that big of a deal. Save early and often!

I have 3 armlets so far, but I can't really tell what they do.The armlet of the Sun increases my attack power... Does it give me more damage? How much more? I haven't noticed any difference yet, except maybe the fact that my attacks are blocked less?

The armlet of the Moon increases my defense. How? Do I take less damage? Can I block more attacks?

The armlet of Benevolence I understand. Apparently it gives me 20% more gold, or at least that's what a certain FAQ claimed.

It's hard to tell how much extra damage the Armlet of Sun does, but I'm guessing about 20% more. Same goes with the Armlet of the Moon. If you want to buy an armlet but don't have a lot of cash, I would go for the Armlet of the Sun. I find that it'll generally kill enemies by one less hit (i.e. instead of 5 hits to kill, it'll take four). I don't think the Armlet of the Moon allows you to block more attacks, you just take less damage when you're hit.

When you start playing for karma points (like in the Master Ninja Tournament), the Armlet of the Sun is important, as it lets you kill enemies faster.

I am happy some people find the difficulty ok. Personally when reviewers say a game is very hard I don't even pick it up. I know my limitations and I know I would a. suck at this game and b. I would come to hate it because of that.

Still there is a nitch for games like this and I think it is undeniably a great game.

Of course I am waiting for the perfect marriage of this level of difficulty for those that want it, and lower levels for people like me. While a lot of games have easy settings they are usually rediculously easy. What would be great would be a menu where you can pick or use sliders to decide what is harder.

For example in Oniumsha 3. I eventually switched to easy, but not because most of the game was too hard but because the bosses were. If I could have just lowered the difficulty of the bosses and not all the other creatures I would have found my perfect level of difficulty. Unfortunatly by switching to easy after a fustrating boss fight I have had no challenges in the rest of the game.

there is a proven way to beat alma, but it takes alot of work for most people. i dont find it easy at all. i play on medium difficulty and i have a lot of trouble sometimes, especially with bosses or against overwhelming odds. ive onyl had the game a week and a half, but i played it before i owned it.

Logged

if you strike me down, i will become more powerful than you can ever imagine.